Americans United - Gene Millshttps://www.au.org/tags/gene-mills
enBobby’s Bad-News Buds: Louisiana Gov. Jindal Is ‘One Of The Family’ At Religious Right HQhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/bobby-s-bad-news-buds-louisiana-gov-jindal-is-one-of-the-family-at
<a href="/about/people/joseph-l-conn">Joseph L. Conn</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Jindal is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Louisiana Family Forum (LFF) and its Religious Right allies. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Bobby Jindal knows better. The Louisiana governor majored in biology and public policy at Brown University, and he was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. So why is he defending the teaching of religious concepts in public school science classes?</p><p>Last Friday, in an interview with NBC’s Hoda Kotb, Jindal <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/15/louisiana-governor-ive-got-no-problem-with-creationism-in-public-schools/">said he is perfectly fine </a>with sneaking a little fundamentalist theology into the regular biology curriculum. </p><p>“We have,” he said, “what’s called the [Louisiana] Science Education Act that says that if a teacher wants to supplement those materials, if the school board is okay with that, if the state school board is okay with that, they can supplement those materials.</p><p>“Bottom line, at the end of the day, we want our kids to be exposed to the best facts,” Jindal continued. “Let’s teach them about the Big Bang theory, let’s teach them about evolution, let’s teach them — I’ve got no problem if a school board, a local school board, says we want to teach our kids about creationism, that people, some people, have these beliefs as well, let’s teach them about ‘intelligent design.’”</p><p>There you have it. Jindal, in one swoop, dismisses sound science education and church-state separation. In his view, it’s perfectly fine to indoctrinate children in the tenets of religion in public school science class! Amazing!</p><p>When the Louisiana legislature passed the misnamed Science Education Act in 2008, top science, education and civil liberties leaders begged Jindal to veto the bill. Even some of his former professors joined the throng.</p><p>According to<a href="http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/06/science_law_could_set_tone_for.html"> the <em>Times-Picayune</em></a>, Arthur Landy, who taught Jindal at Brown, released a statement saying “Gov. Jindal was a good student in my class when he was thinking about becoming a doctor, and I hope he doesn't do anything that would hold back the next generation of Louisiana's doctors."</p><p>Jindal ignored the experts and signed the measure into law.</p><p>How do we explain this? It’s easy. Jindal is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Louisiana Family Forum (LFF) and its Religious Right allies. He was elected with strong support from the state’s fundamentalist political forces, and he misses no opportunity to pay them back. His staff has included Religious Right operatives, and he has appointed those folks to commissions and government agencies.</p><p>Jindal even <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/december-2008-church-state/people-events/louisiana-governor-takes-state-helicopter-on">jetted around the state</a> at taxpayer expense to campaign – oops, I mean, worship – at fundamentalist churches. (Jindal is Roman Catholic, but when it comes to evangelizing voters, he gets downright ecumenical.)</p><p>In addition to signing the anti-evolution law, Jindal has ramrodded through the legislature a radical voucher <a href="https://www.au.org/media/press-releases/louisiana-voucher-plan-forces-taxpayers-to-subsidize-religious-instruction-says">scheme that funds religious schools </a>– even schools that teach religion in science class. Even schools that think the Loch Ness Monster is swimming about in Scotland. Even schools that teach racially offensive concepts in history and geography. (The voucher scheme is being challenged at the Louisiana Supreme Court right now.)</p><p>As <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/us/02jindal.html?_r=3&amp;scp=1&amp;sq=bobby%20jindal&amp;st=cse&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&amp;"><em>The New York Times</em> reported </a>back in 2008, “At the [LFF’s] modest offices here, Mr. Jindal is seen as practically one of the family.”</p><p>The Rev. Gene Mills, LFF executive director, told <em>The Times</em>, “I believe there are some philosophical principles we share, that naturally put us closer. There are a lot of shared values.”</p><p>And what are those values? The LFF says it seeks to apply “biblical principles” to all government policies. In practice, that means taxpayer funding for religious schools and ministries, religion in public schools, a ban on abortion, no civil rights for gay people, etc.</p><p>Nothing has changed since that <em>Times </em>article five years ago. The governor is still doing the Religious Right’s bidding at every turn.</p><p>In December of 2012, for example, Jindal issued <a href="http://gallery.mailchimp.com/20dc9be01946aff7364f31092/files/JindalProclamation.pdf">a proclamation asking </a>the “One True God” to “establish and bless a New Louisiana, to release His grace upon us, to cleanse and heal our land of all unrighteousness, to fill this land with His glory, and to expand the redemptive influences of our state beyond our borders so that His glory may be known through us in the earth.”</p><p>In other words, Jindal wants to make his little Louisiana theocracy a divinely mandated model for other states. (BTW, the folks the governor issued this particular proclamation for are on the religious-political fringes. Our friends in Louisiana say they appear to be part of the Apostolic Prayer Network/Intercessors for Louisiana crowd that wages “spiritual warfare” for total fundamentalist control of the government.)</p><p>Jindal usually doesn’t publicly play up his ties to the Religious Right, of course. That might rankle Americans who support strong public schools where their kids can get a decent education. It also might irritate folks who believe in an America where the government doesn’t play favorites when it comes to faith and all Americans are equal regardless of what you believe about religion.</p><p>But don’t be fooled. Jindal is the front man for a movement that wants to base our government on “biblical principles,” not church-state separation, and that’s downright scary.</p><p>PS: Student activist <a href="http://www.repealcreationism.com/">Zack Kopplin, </a>the <a href="http://lasciencecoalition.org/">Louisiana Coalition for Science</a> and the <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/aulouisianachapter/">Louisiana AU Chapter </a>are campaigning to expose the attacks on science education in the Pelican State. They would like to see the Science Education Act repealed, although that’s an uphill struggle in the legislature.</p><p> </p><p> </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/creationism-evolution">Creationism &amp; Evolution</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/vouchers">Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/descriptions-and-activities-religious-right-groups">Descriptions and Activities of Religious Right Groups</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/bobby-jindal">Bobby Jindal</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/louisiana-family-forum">Louisiana Family Forum</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/gene-mills">Gene Mills</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/creationism">creationism</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers">school vouchers</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Location:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/our-work/grassroots/louisiana">Louisiana</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-chapter field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Chapters:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/chapters/louisiana">Louisiana</a></div></div></div>Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:38:38 +0000Joseph L. Conn8297 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/bobby-s-bad-news-buds-louisiana-gov-jindal-is-one-of-the-family-at#commentsDavid v. Goliath: Louisiana Student Girds For Battle On Behalf Of Sound Sciencehttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/david-v-goliath-louisiana-student-girds-for-battle-on-behalf-of-sound
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>A Louisiana high school senior is on a mission to save science education in his home state.</p>
<p>Zachary Kopplin, a senior at Baton Rouge Magnet High School, wants to see the 2008 Louisiana Science Education Act repealed, and he’s working with state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson (D-New Orleans) to garner support for a bill she plans to introduce in April that will do just that.</p>
<p>One of his first stops to rally the troops was the Darwin Day event put on by the Louisiana chapter of Americans United last weekend at a Unitarian church in Baton Rouge.</p>
<p>Kopplin <a href="http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/116139684.html">told the audience</a> the law is “embarrassing,” a characterization most civil liberties groups and scientists agree with.</p>
<p>When Gov. Bobby Jindal signed the measure back in 2008, Americans United <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2008/07/eroding-evolutio.html">warned</a> that it was merely another attempt by creationists to slip fundamentalist religion into biology classes.</p>
<p>The law was pushed heavily by the Louisiana Family Forum (LFF), a Religious Right organization that promotes creationism and is an affiliate of the James Dobson-founded Focus on the Family. The measure allows teachers to introduce into the classroom “supplemental textbooks and other instructional materials” about evolution, the origins of life, global warming and human cloning.</p>
<p>AU experts and our allies in the state knew the measure was made up of code language that would only serve to threaten the integrity of science education.</p>
<p>And sure enough, in November 2010, the LFF started to use the law to <a href="http://blog.au.org/2010/11/11/louisiana-alert-family-forum-is-targeting-the-science-curriculum/">chip away</a> at evolution and sound science standards by claiming the state’s biology textbooks give too much credibility to Darwin’s theory. Under the Science Education Act, they argued, science education must expand to include more than just the theory of evolution, but also “intelligent design,” the latest variant of creationism.</p>
<p>The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Textbook/Media/Library Advisory Council held a hearing to rule on these concerns. Kopplin <a href="http://richarddawkins.net/articles/548764-louisiana-school-science-your-support-needed-please">testified</a> in support of sound science textbooks.</p>
<p>“Louisiana students deserve to be taught proper science that will prepare us for success in the global economy,” he said. “Quite frankly, all the Louisiana Science Education Act does is create an unconstitutional loophole to sneak the teaching of creationism or intelligent design in public school science classes. When a school district does try to use this law for its intended purpose, it will quickly be shot down by the courts.</p>
<p>“So there is no need for this committee to try to jump ahead with such a costly and unproductive effort,” he continued, “one that will only embarrass our state and harm our students who need to be properly educated and well prepared for success in the global economy.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.repealcreationism.com/208/my-testimony-before-bese%E2%80%99s-textbookmedialibrary-advisory-council/">Concluded</a> Kopplin, “Please stand tall and endorse life science textbooks that teach real science rather than undermine it.”</p>
<p>Kopplin’s testimony and that of other supporters of sound science and church-state separation must have worked. The council voted 8-4 to recommend that the board adopt solid biology textbooks and disregard the LFF’s comments. In December, BESE followed through, <a href="http://blog.au.org/2010/12/10/victory-in-louisiana-state-ed-board-approves-sound-biology-textbooks/">voting</a> 8-2 to approve these textbooks.</p>
<p>The Baton Rouge <em>Advocate</em> <a href="http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/112530384.html">praised</a> Kopplin for taking on the fight against the LFF, which has the support of many influential people in the Louisiana political scene.</p>
<p>“It would have seemed, nevertheless, a mismatch: Young Kopplin’s earnest and articulate defense of science against the Family Forum, headed by the Rev. Gene Mills, one of the most powerful influences in the State Capitol these days,” the newspaper wrote. “But as when David met Goliath, the young man prevailed against the Philistines.”</p>
<p>We hope Kopplin will have the same positive effect on the Louisiana state legislature when the bill repealing the Science Education Act is introduced in April.</p>
<p>It’s great to see a high school student so engaged in civic affairs. Getting the Louisiana legislature to do the right thing won’t be easy. But it’s inspiring to see Kopplin’s determination.</p>
<p>Keep up the good work, Zack!</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/americans-united-louisiana-chapter">Americans United Louisiana Chapter</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ben-nevers">Ben Nevers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/creationism">creationism</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/evolution">evolution</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/gene-mills">Gene Mills</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/gov-bobby-jindal">Gov. Bobby Jindal</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/intelligent-design">Intelligent Design</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/louisiana">louisiana</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/louisiana-family-forum">Louisiana Family Forum</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-public-schools-0">religion in the public schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/science-education-act">Science Education Act</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/science-standards">science standards</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/zachary-kopplin">Zachary Kopplin</a></span></div></div>Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:16:38 +0000Sandhya Bathija2505 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/david-v-goliath-louisiana-student-girds-for-battle-on-behalf-of-sound#comments